Tameside was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and was once a centre for cotton, engineering, coal mining and hatting. It now has several museums and galleries that tell the story of Tameside across the past 200 years.
Astley Cheetham Art Gallery
The Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge was built as a gift to the town by John Frederick Cheetham and his wife Beatrice Astley in 1901. The gallery originally opened as a lecture theatre and then the space was turned into a gallery to house the Astley Cheetham Art Collection, bequeathed in 1932. This collection has grown with gifts and donations throughout the twentieth century and is one of the most interesting small regional collections.
See the highlights from the Astley Cheetham Collection
Portland Basin Museum
Portland Basin Museum is housed within the restored nineteenth century Ashton Canal Warehouse in Ashton-under-Lyne. The museum combines a lively modern interior with a peaceful canal side setting. It is an exciting family friendly museum, with something for all the family (including a 1920's street)
View the Nature's Wonders exhibition at Portland Basin Museum
The Museum of the Manchester Regiment
The Museum tells the story of generations of Manchester Regiment soldiers through two hundred years of service from 1758 until 1958.
The museum tells their unique stories through the objects they left behind. There are thousands of objects on display in the museum; including uniforms, equipment and weaponry, to the souvenirs they collected and medals they won all over the world.
Search the Manchester Regiment image archive
Tameside Culture
Tameside Culture have published Culture Crafts, a series of resources to help keep the kids entertained.